Developing Literacy Across the Curriculum (Primary)
Consider the Draft Literacy Learning Progressions – By the End of Year 6:
As they read, students build on their expertise and demonstrate that they can locate information in a variety of texts, using a repertoire of strategies that includes skimming and scanning, identifying key words, topic sentences, and key questions, and using subheadings
A literacy strategy to support this is called ‘Text Overview’
(adapted from Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Education, 2001)
This tool works as a visual representation of a text (oral, visual or written). It breaks the content into parts. It could be given to students before a text is read to help them with structure and content.
Alternatively, you could provide students with an incomplete overview, and give them with some of the key subtopic words and plenty of white space for the supporting details. You could also provide them with some of the words to fill the spaces if necessary.
Below is an example of a completed text overview based on an article about waste:
Note the shading of the heading ‘Waste’ and the double borders for the sub-headings. (ie, landfill issues) Under the sub-headings are the paragraphs which are in the thin borders (ie, bacteria, methane etc) and the information within the paragraphs is in the dotted borders (ie, global warming, harmful to plants, animals and people etc).
Helping Students Tackle Subject Specific Vocabulary
One strategy to help with this is 'Guess The Word' (Adapted from Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Eduaction, 2001).
This tool helps you assess the prior knowledge of students in relation to a particular topic and assess the growth in students' topic-related vocabulary. It also helps student guess and define key words in a text.
Discuss with students what they already know about the study topic and then discuss the title, subheadings, illustrations and other features of a set text.
Ask the students to guess what key content words they might see or hear in the text. Record these words and ask the students to copy them into Column 1 on thier guess the word sheets (see the example below).
Ask the students to tick off the words they correctly guessed would be in the text (Column 2) as they read or listen, and to add key words they think are central to the content (but didn't guess they would be there) in Column 3.
Discuss with the students the words they did not expect to see or hear, i.e. those in Column 3.
The next day, present the same text again and ask the students to write definitions of the key content words not guessed (Column 4).
Finally, (this could be homework), ask the students to research an expert's definitions of the key words that were listed in Column 3, and record their definitions in Column 5.
Example:
Guess the Word Sheet
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Column 4
Column 5
Words we expect to hear or read
Tick when we hear or read the word
Key words we didn't expect to see or hear
Our meanings for the words we didn't expect to see or hear
Experts' meanings for the words we didn't expect to see or hear
Blue
fluke
tail - like the fin on a fish, only sideways
either of the lobes of a whale's tail (Oxford Dictionary, 10th ed.)
blow hole
baleen
fibre inside the mouth of a whale
whalebone plates in the mouth for straining plankton from the water (Oxford Dictionary, 10th ed.)
blubber
krill
small fish
small shrimp-like planktonic crustaceans which are the principal food of baleen whales (Oxford Dictionary, 10th ed.)
Text: Whales, mammals of the sea.
NEW! Helping Students to Process Information found in a Text
Consider the National Reading Standard: By the end of Year 4. This activity, as part of a balanced reading and literacy programme will help students reach this goal.
Pair share (think and design-a-question)
(From Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Eduaction, 2001)
Think Pair Share
Share a text with the students.
Ask the students a text-related, challenging, critical or open ended question. Students should work in pairs to plan their answers, then share those answers with the rest of the class.
Design-A-Question Pair Share
Share a text with the students.
Ask the students to design a question about the text. This question is likely to be one they know the answer to (but not always).
Ask the students to share their questions with the other students who will attempt to answer them.
Both question and answer can be shared with the whole class.
Note:
As an extension, record students' questions and ask the class to select the 'best' question. Discuss what makes a good question. Note that students can be ruthless in their selection, and expect a rapid improvement int the design of questions.
Consider the Draft Literacy Learning Progressions – By the End of Year 6:
As they read, students build on their expertise and demonstrate that they can locate information in a variety of texts, using a repertoire of strategies that includes skimming and scanning, identifying key words, topic sentences, and key questions, and using subheadings
A literacy strategy to support this is called ‘Text Overview’
(adapted from Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Education, 2001)
This tool works as a visual representation of a text (oral, visual or written). It breaks the content into parts. It could be given to students before a text is read to help them with structure and content.
Alternatively, you could provide students with an incomplete overview, and give them with some of the key subtopic words and plenty of white space for the supporting details. You could also provide them with some of the words to fill the spaces if necessary.
Below is an example of a completed text overview based on an article about waste:
Note the shading of the heading ‘Waste’ and the double borders for the sub-headings. (ie, landfill issues) Under the sub-headings are the paragraphs which are in the thin borders (ie, bacteria, methane etc) and the information within the paragraphs is in the dotted borders (ie, global warming, harmful to plants, animals and people etc).
Helping Students Tackle Subject Specific Vocabulary
One strategy to help with this is 'Guess The Word' (Adapted from Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Eduaction, 2001).
This tool helps you assess the prior knowledge of students in relation to a particular topic and assess the growth in students' topic-related vocabulary. It also helps student guess and define key words in a text.
- Discuss with students what they already know about the study topic and then discuss the title, subheadings, illustrations and other features of a set text.
- Ask the students to guess what key content words they might see or hear in the text. Record these words and ask the students to copy them into Column 1 on thier guess the word sheets (see the example below).
- Ask the students to tick off the words they correctly guessed would be in the text (Column 2) as they read or listen, and to add key words they think are central to the content (but didn't guess they would be there) in Column 3.
- Discuss with the students the words they did not expect to see or hear, i.e. those in Column 3.
- The next day, present the same text again and ask the students to write definitions of the key content words not guessed (Column 4).
- Finally, (this could be homework), ask the students to research an expert's definitions of the key words that were listed in Column 3, and record their definitions in Column 5.
Example:Guess the Word Sheet
NEW! Helping Students to Process Information found in a Text
Consider the National Reading Standard: By the end of Year 4. This activity, as part of a balanced reading and literacy programme will help students reach this goal.
Pair share (think and design-a-question)
(From Top Tools for Literacy and Learning by David Whitehead, Pearson Eduaction, 2001)
Think Pair Share
Design-A-Question Pair Share
Note:
As an extension, record students' questions and ask the class to select the 'best' question. Discuss what makes a good question. Note that students can be ruthless in their selection, and expect a rapid improvement int the design of questions.